Downtwister bobbin assembly



y 31, 1966 N. T. ANDERSON ETAL 3,

DOWNTWISTER BOBBIN ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 9, 1963 FIG. 2.

FIG.3.

FIG.|.

FIG. 4.

INVENTORS' CHARLES H. McGILL NEALIE T. ANDERSON United States Patent 3,253,802 DOWNTWISTER BOBBIN ASSEMBLY Nealie T. Anderson and Charles Homer McGill, Decatur, Ala., assignors to Monsanto Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 329,062 2 Claims. (Cl. 242118.6)

This invention relates to a bobbin and more particularly to an easily assembled and disassembled bobbin having a portion thereof which may be disposable.

In the construction of bobbins for carriers of yarn, considerable difliculty has been experiend in producing a structure possessing the necessary strength and rigidity except at considerable expense. Such bobbins are fabricated as a complete unit in the factory and are generally made of heavy materials, such as, steel, wood and the like; Since bobbins are constructed as a complete unit, thereby forming bulky packages, they consume an unnecessary amount of space in shipping and storage. In most standard bobbins, the traverse or the yarn receiving area on the bobbin is adapted to receive a particular yarn and cannot be later varied to accommodate other yarns; therefore, many sizes and types of bobbins must be kept on hand. Since most of the bobbins currently in use have a high unit cost, and are not disposable, they require storage area when not in use and a degree of maintenance. Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a bobbin with a disposable spool which is rigid in structure and is capable of withstanding the various strains to which devices of this character are subjected without being broken either in handling or in shipping.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bobbin which is simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bobbin which can be easily dismantled and storred thereby resulting in a savings in space.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a bobbin which has removable and interchangeable flanges.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the appended drawings, specifications, and claims. Preferred embodiments of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is an exploded, pictorial vie-w showing the various elements of the bobbin;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view through the flange, compression ring and a portion of the spool;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the lower portions of the bobbin showing the relative positions of the compression ring and the flange before becoming frictionally engaged; and

FIGURE 4 is a top view of the lower portion of the bobbin showing the compression ring and the flange in full frictional engagement.

In accordance with this invention, a bobbin comprising a spool, compression rings, and flanges is designed to be assembled and disassembled with little inconvenience to the user. It is contemplated that the spool shall be made from a paper product thereby being readily disposable after being used but other products such as plastics or the derivatives thereof may be substituted. Where two flanges are used, the spool is scored at each end by having imparted thereto an indentation or groove which traces a path around the periphery of the spool, the mentioned path being perpendicularly arranged with the axis thereof. A compression ring having a protuberant hump or ridge which circumvolutes both the outer and inner peri pheries thereof may reside on each end of the spool with the inner protuberant hump being received by the score. The compression ring is also provided with an interstice which contracts as a compression force is applied thereto.

3,253,802 Patented May 31, 1966 This interstice allows the compression ring to securely clasp the spool. The outer periphery of the compression ring is provided with a plurality of camming surfaces which function as a wedge and a brake and co-operate with a flange to form a unitary structure. The flange is generally disc like in design having a face portion and an annular opening or hole concentrically located therein. The flange is provided with a plurality of lugs being numerically equal to the camming surfaces and being adapted to slidably receive and to frictionally lock on the camming surfaces. The flange is placed on the compression ring by positioning the lugs thereof on the narrow portion of the wedge shaped camming surface as shown in FIGURE 3. As the flange is then turned in the direction of the inclination, pressure is exterted on the camming surfaces by the lugs thereby forcing the compression ring to securely clasp the spool as shown in FIG- URE 4. The lugs are also circumferentially grooved to accommodate the hump which protrudes above the camming surface; the groove and hump arrangement prevent the flange from being removed from the bobbin while it is assembled by an external lateral force.

In construction, the compression rings are snugly mounted on each end of the spool with the ridges thereon in the groove in the spool. The spool and compression ring are now adapted to receive the flange. The flange is placed around the periphery of the compression ring in a manner to render it rotatable in a locking direction. After the flanges are properly placed on the compression rings with the grooves being aligned with the ridges, each flange is turned in a direction which will tend to slide the lugs up the camming surfaces into a frictionally locking position therewith. The bobbin'is then adapted to put on a spindle and receive yarn. After the yarn has been deposited on the bobbin, the bobbin is ready to be shipped to the manufacturer of fabrics where it is put into use much the same as the conventional cone having yarn wrapped thereon. When the yarn is unwound therefrom, the bobbin is dismantledby rotating the flange relative to the spool in the direction reverse to the frictionally locking direction. Once dismantled, the compression ring and the flange are returned to the original owner while the spool is discarded. By dismantling the bobbin and discarding the spool, the cost of returning the parts to the original owner is reduced to a minimum. Since the bobbin with the yarn thereon is easily transported from the yarn producer to the manufacturer, the cost of winding the yarn on a cone from the collecting bobbin is eliminated. It is contemplated that the spool may be peripherally scored in several locations along its length thereby providing the bobbin with a plurality of traverse lengths which result in a standardized bobbin being adapted for receiving many varieties of yarn.

The invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the figures are illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood that this invention is applicable to other .bobbins than that generally described.

A spool 10 in the form of an elongated cylindrical member 13 employed in this apparatus to serve as a base for the yarn (not shown). The spool 10 is provided with a plurality of scores or grooves 11 which are spaced along the length of the spool. In normal use, only the scores 11 which are positioned near the extremities of the spool are employed; however, by providing the spool 10 with a plurality of scores, the traverse of the spool 10 may be quickly and eflicien'tly changed. By providing the spool 10 with scores 11, the spool 10 is adapted to receive compression rings 12 which are made from any suitable resilient material such as steel, aluminum or the like. Each compression ring 12 has an interstice or longitudinal slit 13 therein which permits it to radically contract when subjected to outside stresses, thereby adapting it to securely and infoldedly clasp the spool 1%). The inner and outer peripheries of the compression ring 10 include on the surfaces thereof peripheral humps or ridges 14 and 15. The inner hump or ridge 14 is received by and resides in a score or groove 11 in spool 10 thereby preventing the compression ring 12 from being removed in an axial di-' rection while it is under a compression force. The outer periphery of the compression ring 12 is provided with camming surfaces 16 each of which'frictionally engages its corresponding lug 17 on the flange 187 The flange 18, which may be circular in design and may have voids 19 in the plate portion 21 to conserve material, limit the length of the traverse by permitting the yarn to be wound only therebetween. The lugs 17 which are extensions of the flange 18 are spaced around the inner periphery thereof and have grooves 22 therein to accommodate the humps 15 of the compression ring 12. To strengthen the flange 18, the moment of inertia thereof is increased by extending a'portion of the outer periphery perpendicularly to the general plane of the flange 18 and concentrically with the central axis to form a rim 20.

After the bobbin has been assembled, it is placed on a spindle (not shown) and fastened thereto by any well known means. The yarn or filamentary material is wound thereon by a conventional downtwister (not shown). The 'bobbin, after having received the yarn, is shipped from the yarn producer to the fabric manufacturer who uses the yarn, dismantles the bobbin, discards the spool and returns the compression rings and flanges to the yarn or filament producer.

Many diflerent embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. It is contemplated that many different filamentary materials may be wound on this novel bobbin and that this bobbin may be used effectively by industries other than the textile industry. Therefore, it is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment shown and described herein, except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A dismantlable bobbin comprising:

(a) a cylindrical spool having thereon a plurality of annular scores in the periphery thereof,

(b) a plurality of compression rings having wedgeshaped camming surfaces comprising the outer pe- 4 riphery thereof and an interstice formed by severing a portion thereof, said compression rings also having ridges extending outwardly and along the camming surfaces and extending inwardly and aroundthe inner periphery thereof, said compression rings being received by said cylindrical spool with said inner protuberant ridges residing in said scores, and

(c) a flange associated with each compression ring, said flanges having an annular opening therein for receiving its mating compression ring and having a plurality of lugs extending into said opening and having grooves concentrically arranged on the surface thereof, said grooved lugs of said flange being slidably mounted on said ridged compression rings and co-operating therewith to securely clamp said compression rings on said spool when said flange is revolved in a direction to force said lugs up said wedge-shaped camming surfaces into a frictionally locked position thereby forming a unitary structure.

2. A dismantable bobbin comprising:

(a) a cylindrical spool having thereon a plurality of annular scores in the periphery thereof;

(b) at least one resiliently deformable compression ring having wedge-shaped camming surfaces comprising the outer periphery thereof, said compression ring having a ridge extending outwardly and along said camming surfaces and a ridge extending inwardly and around the inner periphery thereof, said compression ring being removably secured to said spool with said inner ridge seated in one of said scores; and

(c) a flange having an annular opening therein removably receiving said compression ring, a plurality of lugs extending into said opening, each including a groove slidably mounted on said compression ring outwardly extending ridge whereby when said flange is revolved in a direction to force said lugs up said wedge-shaped camming surfaces into a frictionally locked position said compression ring and said flange are held against relatively axial movement thereby forming a unitary structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 1919 Prentiss 242118.62 11/1926 Hawthorne 242-118.62 

2. A DISMANTABLE BOBBIN COMPRISING; (A) A CYLINDRICAL SPOOL HAVING THEREON A PLURALITY OF ANNULAR SCORES IN THE PERIPHERY THEREOF; (B) AT LEAST ONE RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE COMPRESSION RING HAVING WEDGE-SHAPED CAMMING SURFACES COMPRISING THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF, SAID COMPRSSION RING HAVING A RIDGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND ALONG SAID CAMMING SURFACES AND A RIDGE EXTENDING INWARDLY AND AROUND THE INNER PERIPHERY THEREOF, SAID COMPRESSION RING BEING REMOVABLY SECURED TO SAID SPOOL WITH SAID INNER RIDGE SEATED IN ONE OF SAID SCORES; AND (C) A FLANGE HAVING AN ANNULAR OPENING THEREIN REMOVABLY RECEIVING SAID COMPRESSION RING, A PLURALITY OF LUGS EXTENDING INTO SAID OPENING, EACH INCLUDING A GROOVE SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID COMPRESSION RING OUTWARDLY EXTENDING RIDGE WHEREBY WHEN SAID FLANGE IS REVOLVED IN A DIRECTION TO FORCE SAID LUGS UP SAID WEDGE-SHAPED CAMMING SURFACES INTO A FRICTIONALLY LOCKED POSITION SAID COMPRESSION RING AND SAID FLANGE ARE HELD AGAINST RELATIVELY AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREBY FORMING A UNITARY STRUCTURE. 